The Economics Observatory is launched

A hugely impressive roster of economists have come togetherto answer key policy questions on the Covid-19 crisis.

The UK is at the start of what will probably be the deepest recession in living memory. The government faces the daunting task of navigating a route through uncharted territory. Sound and non-partisan advice is needed to inform decision-makers across all parts of society about the choices they face in dealing with the crisis and the recovery.

The Economics Observatory (ECO) is a new website to answer questions from policy-makers and the public about the economics of the Covid-19 crisis and the recovery.

The initiative, which is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), draws on the expertise of economists from a wide range of universities and research institutions. It will gather and evaluate the best possible data and evidence and use these as the basis for Q&A briefings on the ECO website:

The site is launched with 40 briefings. But the aspiration is to publish as many as 200 in the coming months, responding to need and debate.

Romesh Vaitilingam is Editor-in-Chief of ECO – and the lead editors are:

• Tim Besley (LSE)
• Jagjit Chadha (National Institute of Economic and Social Research, NIESR)
• Diane Coyle (University of Cambridge)
• Rachel Griffith (Institute for Fiscal Studies and University of Manchester)
• Michael McMahon (University of Oxford)
• Carol Propper (Imperial College Business School)
• Imran Rasul (University College London)
• Graeme Roy (Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Strathclyde)
• Sarah Smith (University of Bristol)
• John Turner (Queen's University Belfast).